If Ross Detwiler had his choice, I'm sure he'd prefer to walk in on day one of spring training and know that a spot in the Nationals starting rotation was being set aside just for him. Detwiler isn't scared of a little competition, but if the options are having a starting spot with your name written on it or needing to battle for that spot, it would probably be nice to know that you had a little job security. That's only natural. That's not how things will go this spring,...

Seeing Brian Roberts in pinstripes is going to be strange. But how will Orioles fans react the first time he plays at Camden Yards as an opponent on July 11? Yep, it's going to be quite a wait until the Yankees make their first visit to the Yard in the last series before the All-Star break. No doubt, some boo birds will be heard. After all, Roberts is with the rival Yankees now, even though the Orioles apparently made little to no effort to re-sign him. Heck, some fans are still bitter about...

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz has been working out in Arizona for most of the winter, but he flew to California earlier this month in order to meet new pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti. His early impressions? "It was great," Matusz said yesterday during a phone interview. "It was awesome that those guys were able to come out to the West Coast all the way from Florida. It was really good. I played catch. Zach (Britton) and I threw sides off a mound. "Dom and...

Before former Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts reports to spring training with his new team, he'll continue to pull the occasional babysitting duty for his 6-month-old son, Jax, while wife Diana is able to work out or run errands. Roberts recently signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the division-rival Yankees, taking him away from the organization that selected him in the supplemental round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft. Got to feel weird, right? "I think anybody who's...

While Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette continues his search for another starting pitcher, left-hander Brian Matusz is determined to win a spot in the rotation in spring training. Matusz will work out as a starter at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, and he's gotten a head start this winter. "That's the plan," he said earlier today. "This offseason, I've been long-tossing and stretching it out a bit." He's also been working on his changeup to better defend himself against...

Baseball Prospectus today ranked five Orioles among its top 101 prospects in baseball. Kevin Gausman was No. 10 with Dylan Bundy No. 15, Hunter Harvey No. 58, Eduardo Rodriguez No. 61 and Jonathan Schoop No. 82. Jason Parks, the national prospect/player development writer for Baseball Prospectus, authored the list compiled with his prospect team and is quite high on several of the O's young players, as those rankings reflect. The BP list ranked Gausman considerably higher than MLB.com (10th...

FAIRFAX, Va. - Center fielder Michael Taylor has returned from the Puerto Rican winter league and was honored Sunday as the 2013 Potomac Nationals Player of the Year at their 19th annual Hot Stove Banquet. Taylor hit .365 for los Indios de Mayaguez with seven doubles, two triples, three homers and 10 RBIs. He scored 20 runs with 50 hits and earned a .428 on-base percentage. He had a span of five games where he smacked 10 hits in the final couple of weeks of his time in Puerto Rico. "It is...

Some pitchers use their old high school or college teammates as their catcher during offseason bullpen sessions. Some pitchers throw to their fathers during the winter. Others strap their personal trainers up in catching gear and have them on the receiving end of a few dozen fastballs. Gio Gonzalez has recruited someone with slightly better credentials to catch his offseason bullpen sessions: former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. Gonzalez and Posada have met up each of the last two Tuesdays at...

As the baseball industry long suspected, the free agent floodgates burst open once Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka finally chose a team. Yes, Ty Wigginson and Endy Chavez signed minor league deals. Taking a closer look, I also see that Matt Garza's four-year, $50 million deal with the Brewers finally became official after a suspicious delay in the announcement that had me wondering whether he failed his physical. Then I thought, that rarely happens anymore. Grant Balfour signed a two-year,...

Five Orioles have been ranked among the top 101 prospects in baseball by Baseball Prospectus. Here is how Baseball Prospectus rated the five O's on its list released this morning: No. 10 - Kevin Gausman No. 15 - Dylan Bundy No. 58 - Hunter Harvey No. 61 - Eduardo Rodriguez No. 82 - Jonathan Schoop Before last season, Baseball Prospectus rated Bundy No. 4, Gausman No. 13 and Schoop No. 80. Now Rodriguez and Harvey join that list. Here is a breakdown of American League East prospects on this...